1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to food compositions and particularly to fried-chunk food compositions.
2. Description of Related Art
Fried-chunk food compositions are typically produced by heating food chunks in oil at a temperature of about 110 to 205° C. To produce fried food chunks that will not be susceptible to unwanted microbial growth that spoils the chunks (i.e., shelf-stable food chunks), the food chunks must be fried until the food chunks have a moisture content of about 12% or less and an Aw of about 0.65 or less. The problem is that frying the food chunks sufficiently to obtain the desirable moisture content and Aw produces food chunks with an undesirable texture and an unappealing appearance, e.g., the food chunks are hard, have sharp edges, and do not have a meat-like appearance (the chunks do not resemble actual meat). Current techniques for overcoming these problems involve adding water to the fried food chunks. The added water alters the texture and produces more appealing food chunks, e.g., increases the softness (reduces the hardness), reduces the sharp edges, and makes the food chunks look more like actual meat. This solution, however, introduces a new set of problems. The fried food chunks with added water have a higher moisture content and a higher Aw, typically a moisture content of about 16% and an Aw of about 0.7. This increase in moisture content and Aw increases the likelihood of undesirable microbial growth that spoils the food chunks. To decrease the likelihood of unwanted microbial growth and spoilage, preservatives are usually added to the fried food chunks. Such preservatives may be seen as an undesirable component of fried-chunk food compositions. There is, therefore, a need for new fried-chunk food compositions that retain a desirable texture and appearance without the use of water and preservatives and methods for making such compositions.